Knowledge Center

What Can Your Media Do For You?

When it comes to selecting a media partner, it’s not about who they are—it’s about that they can do for you.Posted on Tuesday, July 18 in Building Your Brand.

Any media partner or agency you consider will have a lot to say about themselves. They’ve got history to share, audience segments to highlight, winning campaigns to showcase. And any of them, including us, can brag all day if you let them. But when it comes to selecting a media partner, it’s not about who they are—it’s about what they can do for you.

Whether you’ve got a polished campaign that is ready to launch or you need help building a marketing strategy from scratch, you need to consider a potential media partner’s background, reach, and offerings through the lens of your business needs.

Who are they?

Where you advertise matters more than ever before: from the ever-evolving preferences of consumers to the rise of fake news, you need to find ways to be relevant while also protecting your brand. In order to do both successfully, businesses need to consider the reputation of the media outlet as well as the type of content their ads will run alongside.

When interviewing prospective media partners, ask probing questions about their longevity, reception, and reputation. And don’t be afraid to do a little independent research, as well. While they may try to focus the conversation on the successes of their advertising clients, take some time to examine their content and the quality of their products and services.

What do they offer?

From marketing strategy to creative development and traditional media to digital marketing, there’s a lot to consider when it comes to a media partner or agency’s offering. But don’t let long lists of products and services leave you dazed and overwhelmed.

Before approaching a potential partner, take stock of your current capabilities against your needs. Do you have the marketing expertise in-house to develop a sound strategy? Do you have access to the tools and resources needed to analyze your current customer base and identify prospects? What resources are available for keeping up with trends and getting ahead of the competition? Do you have the creative resources to build ads? Do you have a marketing staff to launch and optimize your campaigns? Once you know what you need from a media partner, you can begin the process of finding one that works best for you.

Who can they reach?

Arguably, this is the most important question of all. Because no matter how award-winning the content or robust the suite of services, it won’t matter if your ads aren’t reaching the right audience.

Before you begin delving into a potential partner’s audience demographics, you need to identify who your target customers are. Then, with that data in hand, you can define the quality of a partner’s audience through the lens of the customers you need to reach.

How will they work with you?

Here’s where knowing more about a partner’s client history comes into play. But it’s not just about results, though that’s clearly a priority. You should also consider what experience they have with your industry, how they approach projects, and who your main point of contact will be. The operative word is “partner.” You want a media partner who will work with you closely to understand your business, its goals, and how to achieve them.

Ready to Find the Right Partner?

We’ve got the expertise, insights, audience, and tactics to reach your target customers. But don’t just take our word for it. Download our Media Partner Workbook to evaluate and compare local media partners and agencies.